As far as I can tell, most candidates in Pennsylvania running for the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate aren’t talking much about where they stand on small business issues.

Oh, if asked by a reporter, they’ll mouth platitudes about how important small business is to job creation (which it is) and how we must do more to “incentivize” entrepreneurship (which is necessary). But, let’s face it, the issue isn’t really sexy and doesn’t exactly trend well on Facebook or Twitter. It’s much easier to smear your opponent or talk about  terrorism and illegal immigrants, often by conflating the last two issues.

In the interest of helping smallbiz owners become more informed, I’ve done a little research on the topic. (I’m familiar on the subject and formerly wrote a column about small business for the Philadelphia Daily News.)

Do you even know which senators sit on the Senate’s Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship or which representatives sit on the House’s Small Business Committee? Do you know that not a single Pennsylvania representative or senator sits on either committee? (If not, shame on you.)

I thought for sure at least one of Pennsylvania’s  elected federal officials  would turn up on a small business committee in Congress, given the  most recent analysis by the Kauffman Foundation, a widely respected think tank that studies entrepreneurship in the U.S.)

According to Kauffman’s recent index, Startup Activity Among Large States, which focused on new business creation activity and people engaging in business startup activity, Pennsylvania ranked 24th worst out of 25 states that were analyzed. (Only Wisconsin fared worse.)

Among the 40 largest metropolitian areas in the country, Philadelphia ranked 34th worst (in 2015, it was only 32nd worst)  and Pittsburgh was dead last, same as last year.

Perhaps you should email your representative or senator and find out why this is the case, and where they stand on issues affecting small business. Ask them to what they are planning to do to to help small businesses and entrepreneurs in your community. Don’t be afraid to demand specifics, such as what small business legislation have you introduced, sponsored or co-sponsored that was passed by the Congress and became law.

I’d be interested to hear back from you on whether they responded to you. Not to worry, I’ll factcheck them. But don’t delay, because the election is just a month away.